Families hunkered down in their bathrooms and emerged to find their homes gone when a deadly tornado barreled through the community of London, Kentucky, on Friday, leaving behind only foundations where houses once stood.
Ida House and three other family members ran into the bathtub on Friday night when they heard the roar of the tornado.
“It’s bad. We lost everything except some in the house, not much,” House told FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne.
The Sunshine Hills subdivision, where many homes were destroyed, looks unrecognizable.
House said neighbors were trapped under debris, and her grandson and uncle helped them out. Another neighboring family hunkered down in the shower, which is all that’s left of their home.
At least 17 deaths during the severe weather outbreak have been reported in Laurel County, including a local firefighter. Ten others suffered serious injuries.
Roger and Karina Rivas got the Tornado Warning and ran into the small bathroom in their home and lay down on the floor. When the tornado passed, they were 15 feet away from where they started.
“We thought we had just fallen down, but we realized we were just about 10, 15 feet out,” Roger Rivas said. “The house is gone.”
They were trying to hold onto their German Shepherd, Shadow, but she escaped during the tornado. Thankfully, the couple said they have seen her in the neighborhood. She’s very scared and keeps running away after a traumatic event.
“We didn’t know. We thought she was dead,” Roger Rivas said.
Roger sustained a serious injury to his arm from debris while he was trying to protect his wife and their dog.
“The house, anything that was in it, it really doesn’t matter. We could care less. All this stuff is replaceable. We are not replaceable, it just … overwhelming to see how fragile it is and just feel so overwhelmed that we made it out,” Roger Rivas said.
Help began arriving almost immediately from around the state to Laurel County but helping hands were already next door and offering what they could.
Neighbors who didn’t suffer major damage opened their doors to those who lost everything. The Rivas said their neighbor brought them into her home and then drove them to the hospital.
House said that despite the near-total loss of her home, she isn’t going anywhere.
“It’s going to be a long time, but we’ll get it,” House said. “We’re going to get everything back to normal, and we’re going to stay right here. This is our neighborhood. And we’re going to stay right here.”
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